The downwash from the helicopter swept dust across the field. Stew pots clattered. Dozens of examinees squinted up as the aircraft touched down with a deep mechanical growl.
Renzo didn't move. His posture remained straight, arms folded, feet planted. His aura was calm, but wound tight beneath the surface.
The door opened. From it stepped a man in a simple martial robe, his white hair gathered into a high knot, posture as light as the breeze. But his presence—
It silenced everything.
"That's him…" Kurapika murmured beside Renzo. "Chairman Netero."
Gon leaned forward. "He's way smaller than I thought."
Renzo said nothing. He could feel it: the invisible weight Netero carried. A man who didn't need to raise his voice or his hand to remind the room who he was.
"Menchi," Netero said as he approached. "I hear you've stirred the pot."
"I didn't fail them without cause," Menchi snapped. "They insulted the craft."
Buhara cleared his throat nervously. "Maybe the bar was... a little high."
Netero turned to the applicants. "So many failures already? That's no fun."
He gave a slow grin, then glanced at Menchi. "Let's give them something real. Something that tests more than their seasoning."
Menchi's expression twitched. "You want a retest?"
"I want a hunt," Netero replied. "Let's see if they can retrieve the egg of the Titanic Eagle from Mt. Gora."
Gasps echoed through the group.
"Retrieve an egg from a cliff!?" someone shouted. "That's suicide!"
"The nest is located deep within Mt. Gora's canyon," Menchi explained. "You'll need to descend into the updrafts, time your fall, and grab one from the nest. No ropes. No tools."
"You have two hours," Netero said, already turning back to the chopper. "If you survive—and bring back an egg—you pass."
The helicopter lifted again, blowing dirt into the air.
When it was gone, silence remained.
Then the march began.
The climb to Mt. Gora took an hour.
Renzo walked near the front. Most others complained about the height, the wind, the risk. He listened, but didn't add a word. His mind was elsewhere.
He kept remembering how Satotz had spoken to him in private after the last phase.
"You're walking a different path," Satotz had said. "That's why the exam watches you differently."
Now, as he reached the cliff's edge, Renzo saw the nest—a massive tangle of white bone and sticks cradled far below. Titanic Eagles circled high above, their calls low and echoing across the canyon.
Gon leaned over the edge, eyes wide with wonder. "Whoa…"
Leorio backed away. "We're supposed to jump into that?"
Kurapika's brow furrowed. "If the wind doesn't catch us right, we die."
Menchi called out from behind. "The updrafts from the canyon will slow your fall—if you leap at the right moment."
Renzo stepped forward, eyes on the currents. He crouched, scanned the valley, and then closed his eyes.
Feel the air. Breathe. Don't command it. Listen to it.
Jack's teaching. Even now.
He opened his eyes.
The wind shifted—just slightly.
And he jumped.
The world tilted.
The wind caught him like a cradle, then pitched. His coat snapped. The roar of air filled his ears as the nest approached like the bottom of a pit. Time slowed.
Renzo saw the eggs—massive white ovals resting in the nest's center.
One eagle turned.
Its golden eyes met his.
No fear. No hostility.
Only a test.
He turned midair, adjusted his fall with his hips, and landed softly at the edge of the nest. Not in the middle. Not near the others. Respectfully.
He selected the egg closest to him. No cracks. No sign of movement. He bowed, just once, and stepped back.
He leapt again, using the second gust to lift him into a curved arc.
He landed hard, rolled once, then stood upright.
Kurapika stared. "You… didn't disturb the nest?"
Renzo held up the egg. "I didn't take more than I needed."
Gon whooped as he launched himself off the cliff next. Leorio hesitated but eventually followed. Others scrambled, fell, collided, missed. Several eggs were cracked or lost.
In the end, only about thirty made it back unbroken.
Menchi nodded, arms crossed. "Those who returned with intact eggs… pass."
Leorio collapsed onto the ground. "I'm going to pass out."
Gon clutched his egg to his chest like a trophy. Kurapika held his like a relic. Renzo simply set his down on the grass.
He turned his eyes toward the wind again, still feeling it swirl past his cheeks.
The test hadn't been about the egg.
It had been about the fall—and the choice made before reaching the ground.